THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 125, 19 February 1908, Page 4

THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

' ANNUAL MEETING. STATE AND PROGRESS OF TRADE. HARBOUR MATTERS. 'AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION. The annual meeting of the Wellington - Chamber, of Commerce was held; yesterday - afternoon at tho rooms in Customhouse • i Quay, l and was preceded by a luncheon,-to . which about forty gentlemen sat down, under - tho chairmanship of Mr: J. G. Harkness , (President of the Chamber). ... - .THE PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. • In-moving the adoption of the annual re--.-.port,"which has already been dealt with in this- journal, , the referred ,totho • year' ending September 30, 1907, as a year of record progress for tho Dominion, and stated that it was matter of extreme congratulation that tho volume of our trado showed an increase. of £5,572,285 for tho • year/ and a gross total of £30,832,201. Pro- /■ ceeding, ho said: In reference to tho.hituie, I. am not desirous of taking the pessimistic • TieW 'iof the-' possibilities, • but so-far-as'can ■ be discerned, thero: is no reason to believe that We shall have to face a decided slump 1• in values. But indications are- not wanting ' • that the coming year will not exceed its predecessor »n quantity or value. In addition to lower prices thero may of course arise nn-

' foreseen contingencies that will trade*'conditions : in tho ' Home : Land, materially affecting the spending power of that ' class'of the community which uses porhaps V the larger proportion of: New Zealand exports. :,The Dominion being so depondent r'. ■ upon;tho Mother Country .tor the consumption of its surplus food products will inevitably be the i first >to feel ..the .reflex action of ■any chango in jthe/backward. direction. •. - It, is ell at tho present moment to bear in mind : 1 tho opinion voiced :by the President tho • British Trade Boardthat..in v the nearjiutuio we must expect an ebb m the lvolume of'trado, and commence.'j-;'Evidences not j wanting that so far as the present year has gone, wo ■ i must anticipate ;a considerable shrinkago in ralue by the end of September 30, 1908. - EXPORTS AND IMPORTS. ''

Tho total exports for the year are"£19,984,872, an increaso of £2,24B;474,eqiial':to;;;an ■, ■ advanco"of 12j-per cent. -'The elusive of specie—amount. to £16,0/1,887, ' ' jhowing an .advance .of £2,496,760 over the , ; - xhesejfigures constitute : a roc'ord 'for tfie minion.'; iidluding specie' • ' tion,' 'tho former exceeds the' .latter"; by ■ £3,819,959, being £305,041>' lef,s than : -tho ' difference between 'the ttfo of- last year.^Pro- ■ bablyphis be cpnsider'ecl'a, satisfactory position bysome:''; Tlie-increase, of out, ' . imports, may indicate the'&pansion ! of, trAde 4 .-v *nd elasticity, of dependent upon v. the ■ increased value' of our products, vor it may., : arise from the natural increase dfytrade; to': ; i meet the ' improved conditions of' our- people;^-^lt^niay} c . 'an the other hand, bo the; result,of-lover-- . srading sr ifit'maybe,.and. probably;is-'to.;'a';c9rtain'':extont, l .'the o'itt«omo of accumulated'.wealth., having-,brought »bout.|a rediictioii' of individual indebtedness ~.....yj the'foreign capitalist: " <* ~. , EXPORTS MUST 'BE IMPROVED : >.:• What needs <to\he-emphasi3ed/in )connec- 1 ' tiori .with our export trade-' is; more : careful• preparation tenahco' of there>must be-moroi.caro-exercisod r in (every;department of;the^-liiisiriessT;' bo sound and must -be the ,' yield,;'perv-:heM.' : in-: and :the.,'i;eqiiiremehts!yof l e ;trade-. complioa all-wool , clai-:' mand an isijiecded'; ,■. in sorting andt'"samp]ing,-'and;.dirt,'iin;;-con-': junction .- not be expected' toi.realise ;the ,'same- figu'ro: :i. as a clean, woll-grown istaple. iv-Ifr our dairy produce is to its iprespnt^'enyiablo' . 1 position,- its- flavburiand'- keeping-Kqualities: must';;be^imprpved^SThiso^sraattet?it]te • iv ■ rests entirely; in", prpdi^ Hemp must be produced from raw «matorial- ■: of good must bo strong-and well dressed. Ohe.Jciiture .that stands !,o'ut:.prpiniiiently in conncc- . fcion "with tte. i^that^wool^ frozen meat, .. . . •how substantial increases in qiiantity;'' Fronr this point of .view . well congretulatef'.i^lf^.T^^'iis^'hQw^ViwA'bne. ... regrettable - itself.vH vhich formerly held a prominent' placei tbtal-' ling in Talue during IOM £447,347,, has almost vanished as an item in the returas, the , last year; only equalling ,£79,697,..;u No'twith-, standing this primary'products , of tho soil account;for'=9o per cent'.iof our'' total export trade. i.

DAIRYING. ' , : The dairying .industry- shows'- steady development, and - values/ during" this- season have reached a remarkable level. * Nevor sinco' the beginning of direct shipments sixteen ■ years ago have wo touchod before 150s. per cwt. . Whilst acknowledging ' tho help given by the Government experts , in assisting to establish .this business on a-satisfactory toot-' ing, this.present season'^dsibeen rcmarkablo •.•l.for the'severity of the grading aiid the': quantity of second pado oxported." Yet 'rarely has our produco been better spoken of than ■ now by the London agents, and .tlio complaints as regards quality have been few and far between. Naturally whenhigh prices aro current, produco as a rulo gives satisfaction and all 'grades hav.o a. ready market.i: f It,, is a matter of sinee'rel ■ regret' that' in consequence of tho i Unprecedented <dry.''spell .Hri January and , February—it can/ hardly be called a drought—tho output has consider- :. ably diminished: We might go further, and- . say that, ■ through: dry pastures, the dearth : of' Sufficient quont. depreciation ~in rvalue , of stock), and; . v other causes, the- aggregate i loss 'to: settlors this year will amount to many,'thousands, of. pounds. Beforo leaving' it [niay bo advisablo to' remind ypu 'of; a pressing nood in connection with the Jportip Celling' ./ ton is the;final .port of departure,of.ocean eteamers carrying' this .class of produce, yet we have ho; cool storage acoommodation ffor, • choese v In. this respect wo !: aro'behind other ports in tho 'Dominion?' I '.-Shippers are.'frequently inconvenienced and suffer, considerable' -, loss. J Cheese is; forwarded port-'for shipment, and, is kept, in'a heated wharf shed, ; . with the result that it deteriorates, in; quality, with a consequent deterioration in valuo. This is, a,- defect that ' should , hp. .remedied. The importance of this matteri' is' evident' when we consider -that an average, shipment" of .dairy produce is worth-probably £200,000. tho cheese : alone heing .valued r-at- nearlv ■ £70,000. .. THE PORT OF 'WELLINGTON. " -'• After strongly urging the' necessity of increased immigration to remedy the scarcity : of labour, the President spoke as follows ou tho trade,of the port of In imports, exports, duties paid,and ship t6riiiage r we are still in tho front rank and easily first.; "Wo ought to maintain that position.. During tho year, taking values as a. basis, tho import i have increased by lGi per cent., and t tho exports by 14 per cent. Tho shipping : touuagu exce«ls . that: of;.tho next *port :.by, 'v-'.'694,360. tons. Unfortunately, the developJrtoiil ol , wharf accommodation, in respect to additional areas of berthage and shed room, li.i, hot kept pace with the growth of tho ;• district,' and tne requirements: of shipping. I'll; thcr accommodation is an -urgont neces- ; Bity. The changed conditions brought into existence by an influx of -'population, the 1 croation of new townships : served by tho Main Trunk lino, which will come'into touch with the city and port, demand.an. immediate extension in several directions. .-The completion of the King's Wharf "will no doubt reK.' lieve to some extent tho situation. It is useless to argcto that we do our business - as.

well, and with the samo expedition, ns other ports. If the port is to hold prido of placo jn tho Dominion it must transact its business cheaper, and not as well, but better than, any other. It is not sufhcient that tho facilities should bo abreast pf requirements. They ought to bo in advance. (Applause.)

HARBOUR BOARD BILL. '■■.i Tho proposal to amend tho constitution of sovoral of tho-Harbour Boards of tho Dominion, including tho Wellington Harbour Board, was introduced to tho House. As you nro awaro, it proposed to abolish the privjlogo now enjoved by this Chamber of being directly represented on tho Board. So far it has not been proved that this concession has boon a disadvantage to the Board, or, that the interests of tho port or district have suffered in consequence, nor that a chango is in any way dosirable. As a body the individual members? of tho Chamber are largo contributors'to tho revennn sf the Board, and on this.ground alone have a right to direct representation. Who are better able to judge of" what 1 will be for tho best in connection ..with -tho. requiroments' of tho i port than thoso who como into constant and I daily touch with its business operations?. It ; might not bo out of placo to remind those hvlio insist^hafcth'eiorniiiary-franchise should bo tho only basis of election for positions of • this~charactor that it is contemplated to immediately amend and onlarge the London Docks.- In other words, to municipalise what is now private property. Tho Bill will bo introduced to tho 'House of Commons by a Liberal and -Radical Government, and in that measure it is not .proposed to adopt the abovo principle. THfi NEW TARIFF. Reference was also made to the Pliro Food Act, and tho new tariff. In regard to tho last-naiaod.- the speaker said: —"For weal or woe, the Dominion has entered upon' a policy of Protection. Time aloiio will prove tho wisdom of the courso now adopted. When you carefully investigate the returns, and „ iqtal >,export ..valued' at •£19,687,573; "*over™£l9;2so,ooo is supplied by' primary .; producers, who also supplied consumers m the Dominion 'with produce to the value of £1-1,000,000, making a grand total of £33,250,000 wrung from the soil ono may bo pardoned if they 1 hesitate in a country; such.'as New Zealand; and.'submit to themselves for solution the problem,' ''AYhy shduld.'thc many be penalised' j .jvjistQius..duties for, the benefit of! (Appljiuse)

RAILWAY DEVELOPMENTS. "",Tho, Prosident approval • of, tho policy fo|j?uiidertaking no" new; 'railway-works '-until-tho main arteiinl 'hues those on > with; increased vigour.,-): The completion of tho Main Trunk linb'during'the year would mark a new era iu the development of this portion. of--Ncw».Zealand, .rendering the magni-. jicentJtinibef eel'. country,!. along the. _route acboth centres -.of population, opeu•lng.'Up vast' areas "ofi-country for- settlement, -andrgivirtgT-a gefieral~impetus. totrade, ' the advantages of which should not be allowed to pass from our grasp without an effort.,

"-■' The fact'-that tlio Wellmgton-Mnnawatu lino is to'be acquired by'tho Goverrment during. ;tbe 'cun:cnfc..-yoar ? 7an'd become part of our public Railway'sj;steni, must give' 'satisin the welfare of tho. Dominion. Probably no. one but tho shareholders . will. regret its transference to otlier not, however,' be forgotten; dobt of ■ gratitude, to. 'the. pioueers?of-r;{his'i',great work—(appliiuso), —who m'ftho.face of.considerable difficulties •brought '.the- fertile ...areas ;ot the; Mariawatu and- West Coastfiintorxloso proximity .with tKo>city£ . with' o\ir..,i'ircsentJsystem ;'Eill, materially.reduco tniffic;^viß' ;^the Piimutaka,: afid lcssenitihevloss tho. is 'iiow: experi-i p^nn&.tloiijSvith; this, expensiv'e^.-.sc'cH Vv-- ..■ : ' ",.v-"'N' V

; / HTTTT LINE. It is-nnfortunatc'thftt wo,cannot .late.vtlie.-FCjdverhmSitij'o'ri'- the 'being : niatlo'^yitKXtiiorilAfplicatibn' of the Hutt lino; mgyes'" with- measured ;stcp made -by;X?Brliiitneii£ r flaSif''; sossioii.vSyas- £100,000. .'lt: be'spent Marci^3l;f'l9bß/V' : r;ltl ivas' to., : havqi'. been, completed in five years from commencement. /Three have none, and whilst fair progress ;has beenmado from the Hutt end, tlio difficult at the. city end ;M '• untouched/ , Notwithstanding ;thd;'fact that some'.'difficulty was. at 'first encountered in. procuring .suitable stono for •protcctivo,. r work,; „and • Jbho delay occasioned • /byjj.tno '^ntja'c|br<:^w.bus•.to', tho' Govern-, •inentj takmj£the supply iin hand,- more'.rapid 1 JpjsSgiess ought to .jhave been made, if the ;wqrk; is to be completed in the stipulated tiiiieV • '. 'V. ~ RMtAVAY.. STATION. '■: rij This .building, which does'duty, as a passenger station..as. it has doho for the last i's';;Seither -'■ creditable ' to >.fc\te nor in keeping with the -:dignity or requirements of the Empiro .City; It- is absolutely inadequate and i unsuitable, to'cope. jvi.th ..tlio increasing suburban traffic. . afforded', for .'.the 'issue of tickets; during 'ordinary periods are insufficient,..and.at..holiday times are impossible. : The offices and luggage rooms are uh;suitable.;'>No private-firm would be allowed, .to/ carfr/pn-a busiiid'ss.of. this magnitude aiid ■work''..lth^iryVmployeei;'under .tho existing ,;cbni^tipns = rias. the' Government.noiv: do. The by both -'waiting--Sooms'iis 'of'i-liat character that the less said about;vtlieni v ;tlie batter. Your council has again ;, and ' again surged upon the (Joverri':6f'. improvements, but Without' 'success. ' ' Unfortunately our efforts havo not been .supported by tho Press of the city. j. ; ; IMPERIAL MATTERS.

'.' After'. 'an appreciative reference : to',', the weokly, mail serYico; via|Suez ; Mri .Harkness went on to express' tlie opinion that"; preferential trade, or a revision of the tarilf in the Old Country, wa's^'not dead, but only simmering.'! He urge(l| that the naval contribution should 'be v maintained, if . not increased, and ■ supported- the '~Premier's suggestion .made Imperial Conference "that-!a reduotioh in'cable charges should lie -offectcd."^-?:Ho . siibnYitt'ed ithat tlio All-Red route p.roposaljnfcededocarefur investigation, and that tho subsidy required to maintain rsueh •a-rservice-at.,a,high rate of speed would considerably out-weigh tho bonefits ob••tained.ciji>3n". '.' , ; . .; . -'- CONCLUSION 7 . . . ;^"'"Financially,'/<'said the President iii conclu-sion,'"-the Chambernas improved its, position •sincb'last year, by;£2o9. The mpmborship .:iow l :s.tandsj.at,2o4,;'l4^members,have eithev resigned or died through tho year, and for the samo period 16 have joined tho Chamber. It. is only necessary to romind you that in -innumerable directions the Chamber can do'.tafcctivo work:'To ensure success it needs "your...liearty-,.support, jand its membership :3hpuld ; -.:be-, inorcasod to at least '300. ' lir conclusion J„'take ,this opportunity of thank'.ih^/thejseerctary,'Mr. ICarrOli; for. his valu- ; ablo help' diiriiig; the year. 'My acknowledgments;Vro'ials'6'''due to Mr.- -A. E. Pearce, •vice-president, ifor-'his ready counsel aiid aid! and-to tho members of tbe council for the 'coUrtesy-and kindly consideration' shown dur,ipg m.v.'.jcprm .of olßco |To tho members present''!''apologise, foeling that 'I • have. trespasscd"to6 ,v lbrig .on tlioir pationco. I promisel iiot to?err'in; this direction again. 1 now beg to move tho adoption of the roport and-balanco-shqet.'.' (Applause.) .

MR. J. DUTHIE ON HARBOUR MATTERS -.Mr., John Dutliib,! in Seconding tlio motion, made ; special .'refcrenco to the question of harbour;' control; ; He suggested that the Chariiber' i Was"t6o-'modest'in-asking only to ■haver-one representative on the Harbour Board! Somo of those present could cast their minds back to tlie time when the harbour, was under ..tho control of the City Council, and they would remembor that the creation,: oft? the • Harbour .Board was, really tho;.work of that.. Chamber, Public opinion was ' worked up 1 by' tlie Chamber, with the resiilt- that tho' Board -wiis- established, but not with such, endowments as. other Harbour ■Boards had. 1 It-had- to pay for everything :upj to, tho utmost value. It had no revenue and no,funds, ; aud,no,money even to pay for the preliminary advertisements. Tho Board -in,, early days, was largely composed of tho commercial mon of Wellington; and it was

owing to.them that the port had boon developed to the stage at which they now saw it. Ho was not a member of tho first Board, but he sat on tho Board ill the eighties, and ho believed he was- tho. only man who did so and who -was still taking part in the public affairs of Wellington. Ho coukl look hack ou the history of the Harbour Board with great satisfaction. Though it started, necessarily, by incurring a debt of £61,000, it had been financed with great care and oil sound lines. Ample sinking funds were provided and allowances made for depreciation of assets, such as wits inevitable Where so much of the property was composed of wood. As the result of this course of sound finance, the. assets of tho Harbour Board today stood at £860,(100, after allowances had been made year by year for depreciation. The total indebtedness was £567,000. and deducting the sinking funds of £00,000, a net indebtedness of £477;000 remained.

THE PARTING OF THE WAYS. _ They had now arrived, in Harbour Board matters, .at a parting of the ways. In tho past tho policy of.the Board bad been carried on by its engineer and secretary, Mr. Ferguson. (Hear, hear.) One of the best things the Board ever did was to select that gentleman from among the candidates for that important and responsible position. Ho had been entirely in sympathy with, the Board, and had largely shown the way, with tho result that-they had in Wellington, as was generally recognised, the best wharf accommodation and plant for discharging cargo in tho Southern Hemisphere, and lie doubted if any port in the Northern Hemisphere was superior to Wellington in these respects. Mr. Ferguson had won a foreign as well as a colonial reputation, and when lie was in London some time ago, it was optional with him whether he would como back to Now Zealand or not. It was n great disaster that a man of Mr. Ferguson's ability.should now bo relinquishing the executive control of tho hart hour: The Board now had before it a nroposal to create a further debt of £1,000,000. He did not 'know ..what, scheme the Board would adopt for raising the revenue required to pay interest on that enormous sum, but lie deplored the fact that just at this timo the three merchant candidates' at tho election, who had seats on tho Harbour Board, had been rejected.,,, WANTED: EXPERIENCED MEN. j No influence-was-moro, desirablo in connection with tho Harbour Board than that of men who had oxpericnco and;' knowledge of all tho circumstances connected with tho' inward and .outward- trado of tho port. They wanted meii.-;who could' deal with such questions as-were-now being debated in a newspaper. correspondence betwoen Mr. M'Lellan | and two other gentlemen, but ho ventured to say that thero wero 1 -not fifty, peoplo who understood what all that controversy meant. Ho .thought that if additional, charges wero made, it. would, bo injurious t-O' tho port, I because'tho'te was the competition not only of tho other principal ports to contend against, b'utosilso tho smaller' ports like Napier and Timaru. The Government proposed to grant an increased country representation on-tho Harbour Board.- Tho country, districts wero represented by worthy 'gentlemen, who, howover, had no special: experience to fit them for such positions. Ho suggested that taxation should go with representation, and, perhaps, tho interest of tho' country peoplo in harbour, affairs would in that way , bo enlivened-. Tho'Chamber should assort itself, and' not. keep quiet' and. allows itself to be squeezed , out. If it could not' get tho consideration to which it \va's»entitled, it might be-advisable-to amalgamate tho local bodies '.into onoj and let, tho Ilartour Board absorb the City Council, or the : . City Council take over tho Harbour Board!' Ho'did not want that to happen. Ho ' hoped ! tho Chamber would make- itself-felt, 1 ; too modest in its demands. •••'Harbour' matters must not bo allowecKto'.drift.. ■Ho had ;ho objection to any of tho,members'of the Board, but many 'of them* lacked tho necessary/experience,.and representatives of commerce -and shipping especially'iieedocl oii: : thti-;Board, as nobody eiso knew so .wjell avhafi/was required. (Applause)),'v'."--,

- MR. SHiRTCLIFFE* ON EXPORTS. 'Mr;, G. Shirtcliffo. congratulated tho president :on his able and : comprelieiusivo address. Referring' to a -passage in-Ahe.-aimual roport, .Mr. Shirtcliffo quoted tho increases of New .Zealand's' exports, both in value,and quantity./. : lJ;o'/'argu<jd from these figures largely upon inflated prices on increased output of primary' products^A comparison of tho total imports ;:mid; exports of succeeding, years' showed:j that : 'tho ".Dominion•' was living fully " up •; to" drawn iifrom .tho -increased values'. pf 4 -Hs;.exports.\ .Referring to • the Harbour/.j Board • clectioii,' Mr. Shirtcliffo said it'was regrettable that, out bf a voters' roll. of. over . 21,000, only, about 2600.persons thought.-it worth'nyhilo. to-.vote. Tho most prominenc;circumstaiico during the two years of his representation of that Cham.ber on .the Harbour Board was tho resignation of 'Mr. Ferguson, which ; liko •! Mr. Duthio, ho sincerely deplored./It was not generally known that earlier.iii tho year the Board had tho . opportunity ; of;'seeiiririg an j extension of Mr* i'ergiison's ,engagement for ;a 'further.period of five,years,, but no action was taken on account of tho absenco of two members from tho Dominion. • : . HARBOUR .WORKS.' Tho works which the Board had in contem.platioU," and .which were to'-ba provided for out of tlio proposed million loan, included, in '.addition to; tlio. King's Wharf and tlio .Clyde Quay. Wharf, which wero now under construction, . a new wlsavf to bo called the Pipitea Wharf, which would be placed ; to tho north of tho' King's. AY harf, and wa3 estimated to (cost £135,U00. Then, thero . were tho restoring and widening of tho Queen's Wharf, £7o,UUU; To Aro \\ barf, £60,(X)0; electric light; £'25,000; and dredging,. £24;000. Altogether, tlio works to bo. 1 undertaken during tl\o:'noxt four' years werei estimated to cost £536,000, aud these works wero regarded as absolutely: necessary. Tho Patent Slip, should bo acquired, and ho : had lio doubt that'some arrangement could be como to which would enable tho Union Company .to havo tlio facilities it required. With regard to tho Evans Buy reclamation, there was not sufficient evidence to show that tho additional land was required at present; 'but; as tho work might havo to be-'done' some 'day, it would bo advisable to acquire tho adjoining land, which would bo needed for tho work. VIEWS OF MR. D. J. NATHAN. Mr. D. J. Nathan , said tho'country was calling as loudly as possiblo for more population. 'l'ho Premior- recognised this, and the support of tlio Chamber would doubtless help to achievo something in that direction. Tho population was not increasing' in the samo ratio as tho public debt, and therefore : immigration -must' bo stimulated. Ho thought the Govornmont should borrow money I abroad rather than in tho Dominion, so I that tlio money could bo left in the country to develop its resources. '■ In'st-oad of this, the Government was in open competition with tho banks and building societies, and a fictitous rato for money was croated. In regard to"Harbour Board matters, tho gentlemen who had been elected to ropresont tho. oitizpns ot Wellington had not yot shown themselves unworthy of the honour. • Hoi would liko to remind Mr. Duthio, who he was sorry had gone out, that it was ho and his fi.ionds, who, with tlio aid of popular, clamour, thrust iipori tho Board tho construe-: tion of a dock which was not required, and c l'nn VOuld lc,l i to " an oxpendituro of £.0,000 a year. In tho proposed million scheme there was not ono farthing to bo devoted to tho benefit of tho dairving industry He hoped Mr. Harkness would 'bo ablo to got something dono in that direction. ITo complimented clio President on Ins interesting speech, The motion for tho adoption of the roport and balance-sheet was carried on the voices. ELECTION OF COUNCIL. The following members wore elected as tlio Council of the Chamber for tho ensuin^year: —Messrs. .W. G. Dnthioj W. B. Lees, J. G. Ilarknoss, J. M'Lellnn, 1). .T. Nathan, k! G. Pilchor, G. Shirtcliffo, A. E. Penrco, C. \V. Jones. 11. C. Tewsley, K. C. E. Mills L. H. B. Wilson. , Mesars. C. P. Powlcs and F. V,'. Haybittle wero" re-appointed auditor's, and wero accorded a vote of thanks for past services.

HARBOUR CONTROL. Mr. J. M'Lcllim moved: — "That other Chambers of Commerce ho invited to 00-oporato with the Wellington Chamber in .urging niton the Government, the desirableness of continuing to give Chambers of Commorco. direct representation on Harbour Boards at, at least, the four principal shipping ports of the Dominion." The mover said that this Chamber was tho veal force which caused the Wellington Harbour Board to come into existence. All t-lio River and Harbour Boards and Trusts at Home had representatives from Chambers of Commerce and Guilds and similar organisations, it being recognised that, the members were among the men best-qualified to. transact the business of thoso Boards. As a member of the Harbour Board ho liacl voted against Mr. Nathan's contention for facilities for the dairying trade. The Board in the past had given special facilities for wool, and that was now condemned by many. The position would bo similar in regard to cold storage. The reason why he voted against providing cold storago was that the Board had an arrangement with the Moat Export Company which was far cheaper. 11l regard to the Board's large expenditure, the question of increased revenue had. been considered carefully by the Board. A good deal of-'the .expenditure would wait for somo years. The Evans Bay reclamation would probably not be required for 25, years, but it was advisable to take time by the forelock and acquire the necessary land. That was as far as the Board had. decided to when.ho was a member.. Ho urged that the port charges should be made as low as possible to consignees, following the example of some of the greatest ports ,at Home. On' the Clyde, for instance, goods were delivered, not f.0.b., but f.a.s., free at tho ship, and the ship had to pay tile charges accordingly. The port of Hull had made very great progress on that system. Consignees preferred to pay one bulk sum rather than" a number of small items. He would not'mako the. shipping pay everything, but the Board had given of its best to shipping, and shipping had not reciprocated., Wellington had the best facilities of any port in New Zealand, but it was treated by shipping |rio better than the worst port. A man at the Hutt who was paying to keep lip the facilities of' the port fared no better at tho hands of tho shipping companies than a man living thirty or forty miles inland' from Mount Egniont. Ho submitted that the position, was not fair. (Applause.) . The motion was seconded by Mr. W. J. Bridson and carried.," , ■ • OTHER BUSINESS. ; PRIZES FOR- SCHOOL; CHILDREN. : The President then moved: "That the Council bo authorised, ■ at its : discretion," again, to offer [prizes V. . to tho pupils attending the city | schools to ail amount not exceeding twenty-four l .guineas, on-tho 'same basis as that of last year." , He said these' prizes had -given -groat satisfaction to the: schools, and had- done ..much good. ; ' "' The resolution was unanimously carried. r THE HUTT LINE.:;' - : Mr. Shirtcliifo moved: "That the Chamber 'expresses its ' regret; ?t th'o"slowness! of the pro- . gross.'made in tlio work of improving and doubling .tho Wellihgton-Hutt section of. railway-, and requests tho Council .to: urge, upon the - Govern- ... . ment the moro enorgotic prosecution of this important work." ' He said the Government would no doubt'declare that itliey had dono their best, but if •a private firm iiiado no better progress "withy any similar work, it would have to go. out of business. - : The motion .\vas;.seconded, by Mr. Lee, and carried. " .' F, p, --Jv:' if-: '. 'v : TO REFORM THE CHAMBER. i! 1 ! Mr. R. Hall moved: ' . :' - "That it is desirable that meetings ■ of the Chamber bo held moro fre>*quently, and it is therefore proposed : " that meotings bo held at least.-once: a. -month, and that such meetings be" ', /held in the evening." ! The mover insisted that-evening: meetings would bo better and ,he urged that in .'.the multitude of counsellors-wisdom'might bo found. Tho meetings ought to bo made, more interesting. There were surely subjects enough wjiiclv.would attract full; attendances., To. enforce liis contention in favour of evening'. meetings, the speaker pointed out that at tho ■ moment-< 3.10 -p.m.) j. only \ a:fourth 1 of: the members-who wero present at luncheon, remained in the room. Ho suggested tn.it competitive! essays should' be- x called for on such subjects as tho credit system, with a view to evolving some schemo that would be advantageous to both' wholesale houses and ' retailers. ' 'The. bankruptcy returns showed tho deplorable fact that only 2s. 6d. in the pound was paid on tho average' by bankrupts, and in that connection'subjects for-valuable discussion might be found; .■> He suggested that tlie Chamber might well spend moro money on periodicals. MEETINGS TO BE QUARTERLY. Mr.: Shortciiffo seconded tho motion pro .forma. ; Ho favoured quarterly meetings, in accordance with tho original intention of the Chamber,. rather than monthly meetings. It was, however, quito another mattor to get tho members to,attend., lt_was time tlie Chamber became more of a livo body than in the past, and gave the public a lead in connection with important public matters that now were being allowed to drift. The rela r tions between [wholesale; and retailor and tho credit systoui .called- for serious consideration, as suggested by Mr; Hull. He asked Mr,-Hull to amend his resolution by substituting ."quarterly" for "at least once a month." , This alteration v, f as agreed to, and'it was also decided- to leave the question of afternoon as against evening meetings to the discretion of the . Council. ; Tho President,,.speaking to the motion, said that ho earnestly hoped, during his term of office, to do something to infuse iiiore life into the Chamber. The motion, as' amendod, was carried unanimously. . . f ... GRADING OF LABOUR, There was no.other, business on the order paper, and the gathering was about to disperse, when Mr. C. Tilleard Natusch brought up the question of the increased cost of building, which ho attributed to the, high price of labour., This in turn was partly due to the scarcity of labour, but also, in soine.degree,, to,tho action.of tho unions in getting all workmen put on the same level in regard to pay.' Thus tho pupils of the technical schools got no advantage. Contractors had stated that, whereas formerly they. ..could. safely contract for labour at Bs. or 9s. per ' 100 ft. of timber used; they now had to tender on the basis of 10s. to 12s! per 100 ft,, according to tho quality of the work. Hq moved in the direction of instructing the Legislative Committeo of tho Chamber to inquire iiito ; t|io question of tho grading of labour iii tho building trade with a view to improving- tho class of work, economising as to. cost and giving workmen greater inducements to;excel. The motion was seconded by Mr. Ballinger, and carried on: tho voices.

The proceedings 'concluded with a vote of thanks to tlio Chairman, ,